UConn women win second straight ECAC track & field championship

Sophomore Trisha-Ann Hawthorne won her second Most Outstanding Performer Award in two years at the ECAC Championships. Photo © Vito J. Leo for HTNP.com

PRINCETON, N.J. – Rallying around a pair of repeat wins from sophomore Trisha-Ann Hawthorne – who  won her second Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet Award in two appearances at the ECAC Championships – the  UConn women’s track and field team claimed the top spot among eastern seaboard schools for the second straight year.

“This is just another highlight of a several-year run of championships. I’m just really proud of this team winning the ECAC back-to-back,” said Head Coach Bill Morgan on Sunday, as his squad gathered on the Princeton University track to accept the first-place trophy at the 2009 ECAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

“We continue to try to keep building on that success,” he said.

Refused to lose

A key building block right now is the continued development of Hawthorne, the Huskies’ sophomore speedster, who finished ahead of the pack in both the 100m and 200m Sunday, much as she did a year ago when the women won their first-ever ECAC outdoor title.

Hawthorne credits her success on the track to her “refuse to lose” philosophy, a philosophy that is predicated on her belief that these first-place medals are, in effect, her prized personal property.

The UConn women's track & field team, led by head coach Bill Morgan, won the 2009 ECAC Champsionships. Photo © Vito J. Leo for HTNP.com

“I hate other people taking my medals. I hate second place,” said the sprinter from Elmsford, N.Y.

Hawthorne attributes her position as the leader of the pack to her “passion for track” and her dedication to continue to improve.

“I just try to do my best at every meet and I came through today and helped my team win,” she said.

Morgan said Hawthorne’s second win of the day (the 200m dash), which came with only two events remaining, gave him confidence the team would retain the ECAC crown for another year.

“After Trisha’s win in the 200, I knew we were in good shape if we took care of business in the relays, especially the way things were playing out in the high jump,” said Morgan, praising junior Carin Knight, who nailed a personal best as she won the ECAC high jump title.

Senior Rachael Porter tied for fourth in that event.

Junior Phylicia George took third place in the 100 meter hurdles. Photo © Vito J. Leo for HTNP.com

In addition to her two individual victories, Hawthorne also helped UConn take first place in the 4×100 relay, along with seniors Jessica Foreman and Monique Hodges and junior Phylicia George.

A tough team  to match

The Huskies didn’t fare too well in the other two relays, finishing fifth in the 4×400 and sixth in the 4×800, but those were the final two events of the meet and by that time, second-place Virginia had no chance to overtake the UConn women.

“I felt confident going into Sunday’s competition,” said Morgan. “I knew if anyone were to beat us they’d have to have an extraordinary performance.”

But no other school was able to match the overall excellence demonstrated by UConn’s talented women, including second-place finishes by senior Amanda Martin in the javelin throw and freshman Victoria Flowers in the hammer toss.

Freshman Lhayana Dallas is about to cross the finish line as the anchor on the 4x400m relay. Photo © Vito J. Leo for HTNP.com

Two juniors also did well: Phylicia George took third place in the 100 meter hurdles and Mandel Graves-Fulgham came in fourth in the 400m dash.

All of these performances helped the Huskies lap other teams in the standings as they battled to retain the 2008 crown.

Climbing back to victory

Watching UConn advance up the rungs of the standings as Sunday’s events unfolded was almost as fascinating as watching the Huskies compete on the track.

The women were in 14th place at the end of competition on Saturday and by the end of event #10 on Sunday they had crept up into seventh place, 18 points behind meet-leading Virginia.

By the time the 13th event was over, UConn was solidly in second place, only 10 points out.

And when Hawthorne won the 100m dash, the Huskies took over first place and never looked back.

Connecticut concluded competition with 88 points, easily outdistancing the 58 compiled by the University of Virginia.

West Virginia placed third with 47.25, Duke came in fourth with 41.25 and the University of Albany placed fifth with 39 points.

The Albany men did even better, winning the school’s first-ever IC4A championship. UConn men finished 13th at the Princeton meet.

Members of both UConn teams will be competing at the NCAA East Regionals May 29-30 at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.

“We should have a competitive group going down there,” Morgan said.

Posted May 18, 2009

More than 20,000 participants expected for World Youth Peace Summit

More than 20,000 young people are expected to take part in the 2011 World Youth Peace Summit, to be held in Connecticut that summer. The University of Connecticut will be the host institution.

The state’s selection by the Institute for International Sport was announced at the State Capitol at a press conference today. The Institute is a non-profit organization founded and led by Dan Doyle.

UConn President Michael Hogan said, “With our internationally recognized programs in human rights and social entrepreneurship, UConn is in an excellent position to partner in this effort,”

“We have world-class faculty and students working in these areas and outstanding facilities to house the activities that the Summit will involve,” Hogan said.

The Institute has organized these summits, held at locations throughout the world, for the past 25 years.

Doyle said, “I am grateful to so many people in Connecticut for providing the Institute for International Sport with this opportunity…  We have assembled a wonderful team to move forward with what I am confident will be a transformational peace initiative.  All of us working on this project will spare no effort to ensure its success.”

With thousands of attendees, the event is expected to have a significant economic impact on the state, such as job creation and increased tourism.

The mission of the World Youth Peace Summit is to develop a community of young leaders who will create a grassroots, global network of advocates for peace. Participants will receive the tools they need in order to develop peace initiatives for their home communities or countries.

They will receive leadership training and targeted assistance in social entrepreneurship and development of community-based programs.

The World Youth Peace Summit begins with the 6-day, World Scholar-Athlete Games.  Artists and athletes from around the world, aged 15-19, will assemble at UConn for the Games.

Games will include baseball, basketball, chess, golf, field hockey, sailing, crew, wrestling, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, squash, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field and volleyball.

Arts activities include art, choir, culinary arts, dance, digital photography, symphony, theatre and writing/poetry.

Teams will be composed of scholar-athletes from different countries to foster understanding and knowledge of other lands.

When the games end, the summit begins. Past participants and delegates nominated by the United Nations will join the current scholar-athlete/artists for a one-week intensive academic program, “Pathways to Peace,” which will be accompanied by cultural and athletic activities.

Speeches by world leaders and prominent peace advocates will be held each day in the Hartford area, augmented by small group discussions and workshops.

Leading up to the event

Numerous programs and events will build momentum for the World Youth Peace Summit.

The Institute for International Sport will host The Ambassadors of Peace Dinner, featuring General Colin Powell, on Oct. 28, 2009, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City to raise funds for the peace initiative.

And over the next two years, Connecticut municipalities, academic institutions, community and religious groups will be offered the opportunity to host a Peace Lecture or Peace Performance to support the World Youth Peace Summit.

An international Walk for Peace will be organized during Memorial Day weekend 2011, with support from thousands of Scholar-Athlete Games graduates.

Other Summit events will be held in Rhode Island and will be chaired by Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch and Alan Hassenfeld of Hasbro Inc.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell and President Hogan will be joined by U.S. Congressman John Larson and other state leaders, including Connecticut State Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams Jr. and Speaker of the House Christopher G. Donovan.

For more information, please visit the World Youth Peace Summit’s web site: www.youthpeacesummit.org.

Posted May 18, 2009

Regional K-12 system is subject at May 19 meeting

Supt. Bruce Silva. File photo © by Brenda Sullivan.

Superintendent of the Region 19 School District (E.O. Smith High School) Bruce Silva will talk about exploring a regional K-12 education system, as the guest speaker at the Mansfield League of Women Voters Annual Meeting on Tuesday, May 19 at the First Church of Mansfield on Route 195 (549 Storrs Road, Mansfield Center) .

The evening begins with a social at 5 p.m., followed by the League’s business meeting at 5:30 p.m.  Dinner (by reservation) will be at 6 p.m.

Silva’s talk will begin at 7 p.m., and is open to the public.  No reservations are necessary.

For more information contact Joan Neuwirth at 429-5798.

Posted May 18, 2009

Ever wonder where Gurleyville got its name?

Storyteller Carolyn Stearns in period costume. Courtesy photo

Local storyteller Carolyn Stearns will bring her newest program, “Spinning Tales,” to the Mansfield Historical Society Museum when it opens for the season on Sunday, May 31.

She will perform a selection of stories, all with a spinning wheel in the tale, while she spins and cards wool.

There will be other textile-related activities and demonstrations throughout the afternoon, from 1 to 4:30 p.m.

A wedding gown from the Gurley Family exhibit, worn by Mary Gurley when she married Ralph W. Storrs on Nov. 26, 1861. Photo courtesy of the Mansfield Historical Society Museum.

New exhibits also open this day:

-”The First Baptist Church of Mansfield: Celebrating 200 Years”

-”The Village of Gurleyville” with a related display on the Gurley Family,

-And “Textiles in the Home, 1800 & 1900″

The Mansfield Historical Society Museum is located at 954 Storrs Road (Rte. 195), across from the Altnaveigh Inn.

The museum will be open on Thursdays and Sundays, from 1:30 to 4:30 P.M., from May 31 through September 27.

Admission is $2 each for adults.

Call 860-429-6575 for more information.

Posted May 19, 2009- Tell them ‘I read about it in Mansfield Today!’